Broadside entitled 'Horrid Depravity!'

Transcription

HORRID

DEPRAVITY!

A melancholy Account of the Death of twoChildren, who were poisoned by a Man whowent about selling Candy, at Portobello,near Edinburgh, on Tuesday last, in whosePossession was found valuable Articles,which he obtained from the Children in ex- change for his Candy.

IT is with feelings of shame, regret, and indignation, at the du-plicity of our country, that we here state the brief particulars ofthe apprehension of one of the most diabolical imposters that hasfor a long time disgraced our city.

On Tuesday last, one of those itinerant venders of what theycall Candy, who have, for a long time, disgraced our magistrates,by allowing so perfect a nuisance, have been robbing us to ourvery face, by encouraging our children to pilfer brass candlesticks,spoons, or any other thing that they may lay their hands upon, inexchange for their candy, made of dirty Treacle, manufactured inthe most dirty lodging-houses, announced his arrival at Portobello,in the usual manner, by sounding his horn ; summoning the chil-dren to prepare their old materials; at the same time spreadinghis candy in the most ostentatious manner, to captivate the unsus-pecting babes.

After some time of pretty brisk sale he made his abrupt de-parture ; this was owing to a young boy, the son of a respectablegrocer, bringing him a silver spoon, which he paid for by givingthe boy a stalk of his candy, pocketed his prize, and sneaked offout of the village.

In a short time, the boy and several others were seized withconvulsive fits, in proportion to the quantity of candy they hadeat. Mr Finlayson, surgeon, being called in, he gave it as hisopinion, that a quantity of poison must have been mixed with thecandy ; every exertion was used, but we regret to state that twoof the children died, one named Jones and the other Murray.

On the alarm being spread, Mr Bain, criminal officer, inPortobello, repaired to Edinburgh in search of the delinquent,and at last succeeded in finding him out in a house in the GrassMarket.

At his examination before the magistrate, he stated, that hethought the spoon was of no value; and said, that the poison wasin all probability, mixed with the candy from the circumstancethat a rat-catcher having lodged in the same house with him thenight previous, who was preparing composition to poison some ratsin a grannery at Leith. A few more witnesses were called upwho corroborated the statement of the candy-seller, and who allsaw the rat-catcher mixing his composition.

The Magistrates acquitted him of the supposed murders ofthe children, but committed him to take his trial for receivingstolen goods to a considerable amount, which was found in hispossession.